Lehigh Valley Scene: DeSales gala takes guests 'round the world

DeSales University held its 34th annual dinner dance on March 21. The event is the university's largest fundraiser.

(Nate Bridge)

Christy PotterSpecial to The Morning Call

The dinner dance was themed "Around the World in 80 Days"

Attendees at DeSales University's 34th annual dinner dance went around the world on March 21 — and without ever having to leave campus.

The event, titled "Around the World in 80 Days," took place in a lavishly decorated Billera Hall, where guests gathered upstairs to meet and greet before descending downstairs for cocktails and dinner, followed by dancing. Nearly 700 people attended the black-tie event.

As the university's major fundraiser, 100 percent of the evening's income, about $150,000 annually, goes directly into financial aid for DeSales students, 97 percent of whom receive some form of financial assistance.

Michael and Michele Pessina were event chairs and gold sponsors. Area business, professional and community leaders as well as DeSales alumni attended, sponsored tables or provided contributions.

Dinner started with a candied pecan and goat cheese spring mix salad in citrus vinaigrette, along with French michette rolls. The entree was carved beef tenderloin with Bordelaise sauce (a demi-glace made with red wine, shallots, thyme and rosemary) and jumbo lump crab and Salmon Oscar. There was also a vegetarian option of a Thai filo vegetable spring roll served over coconut curry jasmine rice. Side dishes included purple fingerling potatoes and asparagus bundles. Dessert was salted caramel crunch cake.

The Rev. Bernard F. O'Connor, president of DeSales University, offered the welcome and invocation. The evening's entertainment included music provided by the Rich Posmontier Ensemble. Six dance students from DeSales performed an opening dance number.

Will Neuert, associate professor of theater, created the decorations as he has for the past 17 years. The celebration featured themes depicted in Jules Verne's novel, "Around the World in 80 Days," about Phileas Fogg's challenging, speedy and funny trek. The decor included nods to the countries DeSales students will visit during study abroad trips.

B. Braun Medical was the event's other gold sponsor. Other sponsors included the Topper Family and City Center Investment Corp., and John Leone of Bonney Forge.

Allentown Art Museum spring exhibits preview

A steadily falling snow on the evening of Feb. 21 slicked the roads but didn't deter guests attending the Allentown Art Museum's spring exhibitions members preview. Museum members mingled with the nine artists who were commissioned to produce contemporary art inspired by Old Master paintings from the museum's Kress Collection. The exhibition, "Past Present: Conversations Across Time," is in the Scheller and Fowler Galleries through May 17.

Welcoming the crowd were "Past Present" curators and artists Pat Badt and Scott Sherk, professors of art at Cedar Crest and Muhlenberg colleges, respectively. Allentown artist Gregory Coates made himself comfortable — and available to talk about his work — in the couch that anchors his family-themed installation, "Living Room: private space/public space (2014)," which includes a monumental canvas composed of black feathers on silkscreen panels.

Also opening upstairs that night in the adjacent Rodale Gallery was the photography exhibition "Weston's Women: Edward Weston and Cycles of Influence," which caught the interest of of Lehigh University Art Galleries Director Ricardo Viera. Downstairs on the first floor Butz Gallery, artist Chakaia Booker and exhibition curator Dan Haxall, associate professor of art at Kutztown University, were on hand for the official opening of "Interventions in Printmaking: Three Generations of African-American Women."

A bus chartered from New York City bringing friends of the artists to the preview was delayed nearly three hours by the storm, so the museum stayed open an extra hour to accommodate the late arrivers, who feasted on the food by Karen Hunter Catering before climbing back on the bus.